FocusPositives

June 2013@ Back yard, Goji berries.

April 2011@ Back yard, Goji berry flowers blooming

Fresh goji berries tastes bitter sweet. It has a bright red orange color, smaller then raisins and have shinny delicate skin. It’s addictive to eat, unlike the dried ones the seeds are not as noticeable or hard. In Chinese herbs it’s known to be good for your eyes. I’ve also been repeatedly told the same by my trusted mom. It’s great for those, like me, who stares at the computer screen, phone or gadgets almost every waking moment.

Goji berries tea benefits: Original source

枸杞子茶：枸杞子中含有丰富的胡萝卜素、维生素B1、维生素C、钙、铁等，具有补肝益肾、明目的作用，连续饮用两个月，就能起到明目、强壮筋骨、改善疲劳的作用。特别是对长期使用电脑引起的眼睛酸涩、疲劳、视力减退等问题的人，更有帮助。

Goji berries tea benefits: (Translated on Google translate)

Goji berries also known as wolf berries are rich in carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin C, calcium, iron, etc., Good for the liver and kidney, improve eyesight, continuous drinking for two months, you can brighten eyesight, strong bones and muscles, improve fatigue. Especially for long-term use of computer generated eye soreness, fatigue, vision loss and other problems, the more helpful.

For more information about Goji berrie you can read up more on the subject here.

How I make my Goji berry tea: (Super easy)

Take hand full of Goji berries and boil in a few cups of water for about 15min. Pour into a cup and add a teaspoon of honey if you like. Drink tea and eat berries.

Disclaimer:

For me this is valuable information passed on from my family and now I passed it on to you. This is what I do, you can try it if you like but I don’t guarantee anything for you. Try at your own risk.

I have been playing with videos and wanted to explore the Monetization feature in Youtube. I am in the United States but Youtube gave me this message when I tried to activate the Monetization feature, “This feature is currently not available in your country”. The most common mistake is setting the country to the default, “Afghanistan”, which was my mistake. If you are in the same situation, you can resolve this in 3 simple steps.

Side note for those not in the US:
If you are in another country and want to apply for partnership, you’ll have a hard time finding the application form. It took me a good hour to find and it turns out that was not my issue. At least I hope this information will help someone. Here’s the link to the form, Youtube partnership application form. Good thing I had it in my records because I couldn’t find it again.

Error message from Youtube when trying to activate Monetization @USA

Step 1:

To change your country, click “Video Manager” in Youtube account. Click “Advanced” and select “United States” from the drop down menu and hit “Save”.

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Step 2:

To enable monetization, click on “Channel Settings”. Select “Features” and you should see the “Enable” button available, while before it was not.

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Step 3:

Confirm by clicking the “Enable My Account” button.

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Donut: A spongy ring that helps you make a bun, aka DIY sock donut made with socks.

I’d like to share something silly with you. Like most girls/women I fell in love with the “sock bun” the moment I saw it in a Japanese/Korean magazines. It looks so romantic and cute… Ok, why is it such a big deal for me? Other people can just grab a sock and make a bun, easy job! But for me, my mother gave me extra tough and bossy hair. Armed with all sorts of hair pins and gadgets I used all my force to tame the wild beast into place but my hair just slipped and slide effortlessly from my grasp like slippery stiff noodles. I made a DIY sock donut, bought a donut, ate a donut, and still it didn’t work. My sock bun became a big poofy mess, not to be mistaken with a messy bun, it fell apart with the slightest move of my head. Why…why me, why is it so complicated? Why can’t I do what others can do easily? I deserve a simple sock bun!!! Do I have to put massive products in my hair for this to work? I hate hair products. I am lazy. I just want an easy breezy hair bun, that’s all. I’m not asking for too much, am I!!?? I was pretty upset at the whole thing.

Before creating a Gutsy Sock Bun. Top: Other’s sock buns. VS  Bottom: My sock buns.

After all the failures, I was tired and frustrated. I think my arms got a little slimmer from fighting with my hair, 😀 I wish. My hair is a monster! Then I said to myself, “I will not be defeated!!! Arhhhhh!!!”, “If only I had more hands, like…like an octopus with infinite tentacles, they could help me push my hair in place. Then making a bun would be as easy as pie.” I cranked the juice and thought of ways I could achieve this. With my eyebrows pinched together I concentrated, “Sock bun, sock bun, sock bun….tentacles…Buddha with infinite hands…maybe pipes…a hoe…tube…”, and then, “Sock….sock…sock tube!!!” Epiphany hit me, “Why not use a sock? Who says the sock has to be the donut? It’s a soft bendable tube (a circular hand), it’s the perfect infinite hand.” After trying my idea, it worked better then I expected. In fact it works for any type of bun, side bun, top bun, low bun, any bun you can name. It’s a sock bun turbo charged, you can make a bun blind folded in half the time you would on a sock bun and it would turn out perfect! I was so excited I made my first video hair tutorial to share it with everyone. Any type of soft tube would work for this Gutsy bun, for example, I made a fat side bun with a fingerless glove for fun. Try this tough and brave (Gutsy) bun against your disobedient hair, you won’t regret it.

June 2013: “Gutsy sock bun” master plan, me a genius ^_^. My modesty went out the window. As you can see, I am super happy with the results.

Remember: “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” So, don’t give up, keep at it, you will solve whatever that is troubling you, very soon. All this talking about buns is making me hungry…and thanks for enduring my rant if you’ve reached this far down the article ^_^.

I look so serious, it’s my first time doing a video tutorial.

Watch the 1min video below and be amazed at how fast and easy you can make this bun . Using the “Gutsy sock bun” technique, thick fingerless gloves worked like a charm for this fat side bun. The thicker your material the fatter your bun.

Interested in how I came up with this technique? Read: When there are no solutions, you create a solution: The birth of my “Gutsy Sock Bun”